The Joys of Giving

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:1-, Psalm 41:1-13, & Proverbs 10:15-16

Psalm 41:1-3

¹ Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!  The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. ² The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land
    and rescues them from their enemies. ³ The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.

Do me a favor for a minute & answer this one question; who is the most joyful person you know in this life? We have all met somebody that is such a pleasure to be around. They are always smiling. They seem to be carefree about everything. They are like a ray of sunshine to everybody.

For me, one of the most joyful people that I have ever met is my daughter. She is always so full of life & joy. It does me good to see how much she loves people & loves to live.

Like Vivian, we all know somebody like this. Now let me ask you another question; why do they have so much joy? I believe that there is a common thread in the lives of people who have true joy. It is something that you will find to be a strong quality in the lives of every person who fits the description that we are talking about this morning. Whether they are young or old, male or female, this is a trait that you will find in each of them. The trait that I’m speaking of is generosity.

Each morning, as soon as she is done getting dressed, Vivian comes up to GIVE me my morning kiss. Each evening she GIVES me a warm welcome. When she has a treat she makes sure to GIVE me a portion of it. She finds joy in giving.

I know that she is not giving money to the poor, but the principal is the same. She receives joy as she gives to others what she has to offer. There is a great blessing in it for her. She is a giver. I know that as she grows, she will continue to be generous to others. I know that it will grow into her helping the poor someday.

The bible speaks to us about specific blessings that come on a person who has a heart to help the poor. They are blessing that we all want to have in our lives. I know a lady who spends much time taking care of the needy. She makes such sacrifice to care for poor people in our community. She is one of the most blessed people I know. She is blessed with great health. She is filled with joy. She is as alive & vibrant as any person I have ever met in my life. There is a blessing on her life because of her desire to help & care for those in need.

As I read this Psalm I see specific promises made to the one who helps the poor.

1.      They have joy.

2.      They will be rescued from troubles

3.      They will be protected.

4.      God will sustain them.

5.      They will prosper.

6.      They will be saved from their enemies.

7.      Their health will be restored & renewed.

These are the joys of those who help the poor. They don’t come to the selfish. They are not part of the self-centered person’s life.  They are lacking in the lives of the self-absorbed. They only seem to be a part of the life of people who find joy in helping the poor & needy. It reminds me of Jesus. He had all of the blessing above in His life. His life was spent to help those that nobody else wanted to help. He came to save the ones that others thought deserved to perish.

I see a great hardening in many people today. The desire to help those in need is disappearing. I know that there are a lot of people who abuse the generosity of the church & of Christians. I have experienced this myself. But I pray that we never lose the desire to help those that are truly in need. Let us find joy again in being a blessing to others that are less fortunate than we are. I believe that it will only lead to more blessing in our lives.

Pastor Richard Schlotter